The 2020 NFL free agency is off to a hot start and the Jacksonville Jaguars have done their part to be involved in it. The team has done deals with twelve players this off-season (not counting reserves/futures contracts) and they still have around $20 million in cap space to make more moves, per Over the Cap.
The Jaguars will look to address some holes on the team in the upcoming draft, which is scheduled to happen on April 23 and conclude April 25. Until then, the Jags still have a few moves on the free agency radar that they can make while they continue to update their draft board.
While the big splash moves are most likely over and the free agency pool is heavily dwindling, here are three remaining free agents that the Jaguars should target:
FS Damarious Randall
The Jaguars’ secondary was in absolute shambles last year.
The safety position was completely under fire all year as second-year safety Ronnie Harrison struggled mightily, ending the year with a 60.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. The strong safety position fared slightly better with Jarrod Wilson holding his own but took a step backwards with Andrew Wingard taking over in coverage.
A player like Damarious Randall could help them out in the coverage aspect of the Jaguars secondary. Randall may not be the flashiest name in the free agency pool but he is a satisfactory coverage player with a 69.9 coverage grade from PFF.
At 27 years of age, Randall is also still a young player so the best could be yet to come for him. This would be his third team in five years, but if he plays well with the Jags, they could have a solid player for years to come.
LB Julian Stanford
The Jaguars’ linebackers were absolutely dreadful last year, particularly against the run. They ranked in the bottom five of almost every meaningful run defense statistic and starting linebacker Myles Jack regressed heavily earning a 46.1 overall grade from PFF. The Jaguars have helped address this problem by signing strong run stopping defensive tackles Al Woods and Rodney Gunter.
The Jaguars linebackers have also had a tough time in coverage as well. Leon Jacobs was their best coverage linebacker (with a 64.4 PFF grade) before the acquisition of prized free agent Joe Schobert. They also suffered from major depth issues as each linebacker would miss multiple games due to injury. The Jaguars even relied on mid-season practice squad call-ups in Joe Giles-Harris and free agents Malcolm Smith (released shortly after signing) and Donald Payne who is more suited to be a special teams player.
Julian Stanford could be an interesting pickup for the Jags as he entered the league with them in 2012. He didn’t pan out well in his first run with the team as he was used primarily on special teams and has not played well as a solid starter since 2018 where he finished with a 72.4 PFF grade.
Stanford would not be asked to start as Jacobs, Jack, and Schobert are more than capable of holding down the linebacker duties, but the Jaguars do not want to be in the position again where they are completely ravaged with injuries to the defense. That said, a low-risk signing like Stanford would bolster the second-team unit for a cheap price.
OG Michael Schofield III
The Jaguars could use some upgrades on their offensive line and the right guard spot is one many have long questioned. A.J. Cann hasn’t panned out to be what they’ve wanted despite starting in 75 career games. In 2019, he registered a PFF grade of 54.8, which was tied with Cam Robinson for the worst grade on the offensive line.
The Jags may be better off waiting to address the offensive line in the draft, but if they want to make a move beforehand, Michael Schofield III is a name to consider. While he’s not flawless, his 63.6 PFF grade from 2019 was significantly better than Cann’s, and if the Jags could get him on an affordable short-term deal, it may be worth a shot.
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